London, Jan 11, 2026, 09:38 GMT — Market closed.
- Imperial Brands shares last closed down 0.3% at 3,011 pence on Friday.
- The company disclosed another £1.45 billion buyback purchase for cancellation.
- Investors next watch the Jan 28 AGM and Feb 19 ex-dividend date.
Imperial Brands PLC (IMB.L) shares slipped 0.3% to 3,011 pence at Friday’s close, even as the tobacco group kept buying back stock under its ongoing programme. 1
The move was small, but it speaks to the trade in this name right now: cash returns. Buybacks and dividends do most of the heavy lifting while investors judge whether Imperial can keep growing its newer nicotine products without losing its grip on cigarettes.
A regulatory filing showed the company bought 194,893 shares on Jan. 9 at an average 3,004.20 pence, using Morgan Stanley as broker, and said it would cancel them. It said the share count would fall to 793,669,680 shares in issue, excluding treasury stock. 2
Another filing disclosed modest purchases by non-executive directors Susan Clark, Jonathan Stanton and Ngozi Edozien through a dividend reinvestment plan. Such dealings are reported under the PDMR regime, the UK rulebook for managers and related persons trading shares. 3
Imperial’s drift lower came against a buoyant London backdrop. The FTSE 100 closed at a record 10,126.6 points on Friday, up 0.8% on the day after a U.S. jobs report and a surge in Glencore lifted risk appetite. 4
Peers did not move in lockstep. British American Tobacco ended Friday up 1.25% at 4,060 pence. 5
Imperial’s longer-running pitch has been steady: protect cash in combustibles while building out “next generation” products. “During the next strategic period, we will evolve the distinctive challenger approach which has underpinned our recent success,” CEO Lukas Paravicini said in November, when the company beat annual profit expectations and reiterated its 3%-5% annual profit growth target. 6
The buyback matters because management has tied shareholder returns to the story. When Imperial laid out its plan to keep running annual buybacks through 2030, Panmure Liberum analyst Rae Maile wrote: “Buy the shares before the company can.” 7
With the market shut on Sunday, the near-term question is mechanical: does the company keep retiring stock at the same pace as trading resumes, and does anything shift around pricing and volumes as 2026 gets going.
The next hard dates are already on the calendar. Imperial’s annual general meeting is set for Jan. 28, followed by the Feb. 19 ex-dividend date — the first day a buyer no longer qualifies for the next dividend. 8
But buybacks are not a floor. A faster drop in cigarette volumes, tougher rules on nicotine alternatives, or tax hikes in key markets can still squeeze cash flow and leave less room for repurchases, even for a company built around returns.
Investors’ next stop is the Jan. 28 AGM, then the dividend timetable that follows: ex-dividend on Feb. 19 and final payment due March 31, subject to shareholder approval. 9
